Improvement in registering apparatus



J. C. & O. JENKINS.

REGISTERIN'G APPARATUS.

Patented July 18'. 1876.

No.179,.9ZZ.

V l r n l I l l l l I l [L E 3. .FN/

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

JOSEPH O. JENKINS, OF LEBANON, AND OSMON JENKINS, OF NASHVILLE7 TENNESSEE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REGISTERING APPARATUS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,922, dated July 18, 1876; application filed June 10, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, J osEPH G. JENKINS, of Lebanon, in the county of Wilson and State of Tennessee, and OSMON JENKINS, of N ashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gages or Counting-Machines for Toll and Bridge Gates, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification,l

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is an elevation, partly sectioned, and thereby fully exposing the Workin g parts. Fig. 2 is a top. view of the same, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

The nature of our invention consists of a platform supported upon springs, whereby the weight of the vehicle is ascertained. The said platform is connected with a lever and pawl, whereby a ratchet-wheel is moved, whichI is connected with a tallying Wheel or drum, notched at regular intervals, corresponding in number With the number of ratchet-teeth on the ratchet-wheel, which notches are each provided from a hopper with one ball or other suitable body, and carry the said balls down within a cylindrical inclosure, to an opening, through Whichv they discharge them into a box or other vessel for inspection of the tollgate keeper. An additional mechanism of the very same construction is added, and in the same manner operated by the above said platform, but is locked up in a safe inclosure, to which only the superintendent of the road or bridge, or such oiijcial body as may be instituted and nominated by the road or bridge company for the said purpose, has access, so that, from time to time, the accounts of the toll-collector and of the said inclosed mechanism may be compared.

To' enable others skilled in the art to under stand my invention, I will now proceed to describe it.

In the accompanying' drawings, A represents a stout tlooring, to which two U or otherwise shaped springs, c, are fastened. A strong platform, B, is supported by the upper ends of the said springs. At either side of the platform B an arm, b, extends beyond the walled or otherwise-lined-up sides of the pit a', in which the above platform moves. The arms b are connected, by means of links b', to the levers O, which move in rigid fulcrums c and have pawls D attached to their off ends. The said pawls are pressed against ratchet-Wheels E by means of springs d, and are actuated by the movements of the platform. Stationary springpawls d prevent the ratchet-wheels from moving backward. The ratchet-wheels E are-attached to shafts F, upon Which the tallyingdrums G are fastened, and which shaft is supported by posts f. rlhe drums G are inclosed by a cylindrical cover, H, which has an opening, h, below, and another larger opening, h', above, Where it is provided with a hopper, I. The drums G are provided with notches g, equal in size With a lot of balls, t', in the hopper, and equal in number with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel E. The mechanism on one side of the platform B is inclosed by a superstructure with door and lock, or by other suitable means, so that no unauthorized person has access to it.

Operation: When a vehicle is to be gaged, it is moved upon the platform B, which is thereby depressed. -The arms b, by means of the links b', depress the therewith-connected ends of the levers C, the other ends of which are thereby raised and the pawls D caused to slide over one or more ratchet-teeth of the ratchet-Wheels E. The vehicle is then removed from the platform B, and the springs c raise `the said platform up to its normal elevation,

thereby moving the pawls D down. In consequence thereof the ratchet-wheelsE are turned the distance of one or more teeth, according to the previous upward movement ofthe pawls. The drums G are, by the described movements of the ratchet-wheels, moved in a corresponding manner, and, as each notch g answers for one ratchet-tooth and each ratchet-tooth represents one allowance of weight on the platform, the number of balls discharged by the above-described movement of the said parts from the notches g, through tbe openings h, gives at once the correct amount of toll to be eXacted from the owner of the vehicle. If, for instance, the pawls D should, by the Weight of a wagon, be caused to glide over two teeth of each ratchet-wheel, the subsequent release Q l Home@ of the platform from the suid Wagon would cause each drum Gr to discharge two bells, which means e double assessment of toll for. a. double amount of Weight transferred over the road or bridge. The balls 'i are thrown back into the hopper as soon as they are discharged from thetallying-drum on the side, which is accessible to the toll-gate keeper. The hopper on the other side, which is locked, must be provided. by the superintendent of the road with ffy sufficient number of balls, i, to correspond as Well as can be calculated With the length off time between his` visits.

Having described myinvention, WhatIclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Petent, is

l. The combination of e movable platform of a toll-gate With n. tullyingdruln und tallying-bells or other bodies for counting the number and degree of weighing or getging done upon the seid platform, in the manner substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the platform B, the springs a, the linl; b', the lever (l, the springpuwl D, the ratchet-wheel E, the drum G heving' notches g, the cover H having openings h h', the hopper I, and the bells t', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination ot' a Weighingplutt'orm with two rallying or counting apparatus of the above description, and of which one is accessible to the toll-gatherer and the other only1 to the superintendent, substantially es and for the purpose set forth.

JOSEPH. C. JENKINS. OSMON JENKINS.

Witnesses to the signature of J. @.JENKINS:

W. H. BENNETT, M. T. BENNETT.

Witnesses to the signature ot' O. JENKINS:

S. W. CLAY, M. T. BENNETT. 

